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Man in I-20 crash arrested twice in 4 days

Kevin Poynter, 29, of Conyers was arrested twice in a four-day span.

The man charged in the early Sunday morning wreck on Interstate 20 that killed two people was arrested on separate charges in Covington only three days prior to the crash and has been arrested multiple times in Rockdale County as well.

Kevin Poynter, 29, of Conyers, is facing misdemeanor charges of possession of marijuana less than one ounce and driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, stemming from his alleged role in a three-vehicle crash that killed two people and injured four others. He’s expected to face more serious charges once the Georgia State Patrol Specialized Collision Reconstruction Team finishes its investigation of the accident.

Poynter bonded out from the Newton County Detention Center Tuesday on a $2,000 bond, according to a jail employee.

Poynter was in the news last week when he was arrested Thursday at the Covington Walmart on charges of public drunkenness, possession of a controlled substance and drugs not kept in their original container. He bonded out on a $7,900 bond Friday, according to a jail employee.

His Thursday arrest stems from an incident in which Poynter allegedly exposed himself to a woman and her 6-year-old daughter in the women’s restroom Thursday at the Covington Walmart on Industrial Boulevard. The Covington police report said police received a call that Poynter had urinated on the floor of the women’s restroom and was "flashing women."

When a police officer arrived and spoke to Poynter, he told the officer that he thought he was in the men’s restroom and he didn’t know he was doing anything wrong until he was approached by a loss prevention officer for the store.

He denied seeing the woman and child in the restroom.

The officer reported that Poynter seemed to be "very confused and nervous" and that Poynter’s speech was "slurred and his pupils appeared small."

Poynter reportedly told police he had two beers and had taken a Xanax, which he said was given to him by his neighbor. He also stated that he had an addiction to "opiates" and was going through withdrawals.

On the way to the patrol car, the report said a bottle with a partial label for the prescription drug lithium, for a woman named Rebecca, fell out of Poynter’s pants leg.

He was arrested on three charges and jailed, before bonding out Friday.

When asked Monday, Newton Sheriff’s Deputy Felicia Jefferson said Poynter’s recent prior arrest did not affect his most recent bond. Many locals expressed disbelief at Poynter’s low bond amount for charges related to the accident; however, that’s because the current charges are only misdemeanors and don’t involve any charges related to the deaths as of yet.

Poynter also has been arrested multiple times in Rockdale County, including a July 2013 arrest on disorderly conduct and public drunkenness charges. He served six days in jail before bonding out on a $1,500 bond. A Rockdale County Sheriff’s Office spokesman said Poynter has multiple arrests dating back to 2003, including a prior DUI charge.